Three dimensional packaging is considered as a promising packaging solution that can offer small form factor and high performance capability to high-speed electronics. The high speed electronics may include multi-functional wireless communication devices in which a variety of analog and digital circuits, such as high performance computing functional blocks, image sensors, display units, and multi-band radios are integrated. To implement multi-functional devices with excellent performance, seamless packaging strategies are required.
As the operating frequency of communication devices moves toward the millimeter wave band, demand for low cost, compact, and high performance packaging strategies continues to increase. To electrically connect semiconductor chips, such as memory, Central Processing Units (CPUs), Digital Signal Processors (DSPs), or Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuits (MMICs), to each other and/or to substrates, such as semiconductor substrates, ceramic substrates, or laminate substrates, wire bonding is typically used. As the operating frequency of analog and mixed signal chips reach the millimeter-wave frequency band, wire bonds hinder the performance of a packaged chip due to the parasitic inductance. In addition, wire bonds consume real estate in the package because of the physical length of the wires between the chip and the package substrate.
For these and other reasons, there is a need for the present invention.